And it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us!
A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
Xmas was tough this year, there is no way to disguise that. In London we went into tier 4 (the level just below full lockdown) in the week before Xmas. Normally once all the preparations are over with the Xmas break is a relative oasis of calm. Its usually a time to reflect and re-group before ramping up again for the new year ahead. It is also a time to see friends and family and do loads of festive themed activities. Next year I really hope to be able to post a blog about all the great things to see and do in London at Xmas!
Instead this year for us it meant even more time with immediate family, more zoom calls, more sofa time and more attempts to keep myself moving with exercise classes online. On Xmas day itself things felt pretty normal, but over the next few days and with other family members really struggling, it was not always easy to keep cheerful and keep going.
However of course we did, and in writing this I am acutely aware that there are many many others who suffered terribly over the holiday period, while others like us enjoyed relative material comforts and security. If there is one lesson that we can learn from Dicken’s A Xmas Carol, its that whatever the circumstances, we can try to keep Xmas well.
Anyway enough said about that. Here are my highlights.
Birthday visit to The Ivy
My son turned 18 in December. Luckily his birthday fell in the interval just before all shops and restaurants shut. The Ivy is a great for a special occasion, impeccable food and service and a beautiful original art deco interior.
The black and white polkadot dress I am wearing is from Nasty Gal. The shoes are leopard print shoe-boots from M and S. They are from Autumn 2019. Here are some from Clarks though in a similar style. I think for this look the two prints – leopard and polka dot work well together.
Dressing the Tree and fireplace
I have a lot of Xmas decorations. I’ve been collecting them for many years. It took me 3 days to get them all up and just about the same to remove them again…
As you can see I favour a real Xmas tree and a traditional/vintage aesthetic. I bring as many natural elements into it too, using holly and ivy from the garden and nearby wood in sympathy with how we have decorated our period house.
Perhaps next year I will do a fuller post on how I decorate but for now one recommendation is for my tree lights from Twinkly. They are great fun as once they are on you can use the app to change their appearance. There are many variations to chose from that can keep me happy for hours. This would be great too if you had a very specific look or colour scheme in mind.
Here are a couple of other shots of the tree and my Xmas village decorations. Perhaps its a little kitsch but for me its a magical part of Xmas each year.
Xmas day outfit
And finally, here it the outfit I wore on Xmas day. It was a Xmas present and its from Sosander. Its the first time I’ve worn anything from them and as I had hoped its great quality and fit. At some point I will do a post on the best fashion brands for 40 somethings, and I will definitely include a fuller review of Sosander in that.
